As Planet Warms, 13% of Humanity Headed for Worse Water Scarcity

If the planet continues to warm at its current trajectory, and human populations rise on-pace, well over 1 billion people will face new or increased water scarcity by the end of this century, a series of studies from the Potsdam Institute for the Germany-based Climate Impact Research (PIK) reveals.

“If population growth continues, by the end of our century under a business-as-usual scenario these figures would equate to well over one billion lives touched,” Gerten points out. “And this is on top of the more than one billion people already living in water-scarce regions today.”

Researchers warn that the planet is headed for severe scarcity in which the global poor, as well as people living in parts of Asia and North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, will be hardest hit. “Now this is not a question of ducks and daisies, but of our unique natural heritage, the very basis of life,” said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, one of the co-authors and director of PIK, in a Tuesday announcement about the the studies.

The current pledges of the international community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not aggressive enough to curb the spiraling problem of water scarcity, researchers found in a series of modeling studies.